Vehicle having adjustable compression and rebound damping

Abstract

A damping control system for a vehicle having a suspension located between a plurality of ground engaging members and a vehicle frame are disclosed. The vehicle including at least one adjustable shock absorber having an adjustable damping characteristic.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A recreational vehicle comprising:
 a plurality of ground engaging members; 
 a frame supported by the plurality of ground engaging members; 
 a plurality of suspensions, wherein each of the plurality of suspensions couples a ground engaging member, from the plurality of ground engaging members, to the frame, wherein the plurality of suspensions includes a plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; 
 at least one sensor positioned on the recreational vehicle and configured to provide airborne information and landing information to a controller; and 
 the controller operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive, from the at least one sensor, the airborne information; 
 determine, based on the airborne information, an airborne event indicating the recreational vehicle is airborne; 
 provide, based on the airborne event, one or more first commands to result in decreasing a rebound damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers from a pre-takeoff rebound value to a free-fall rebound value; 
 receive, from the at least one sensor, landing information; 
 determine, based on the landing information, a landing event indicating the recreational vehicle has landed subsequent to the airborne event; 
 determine, based on the airborne event and the landing event, a time duration that the recreational vehicle is airborne; 
 provide, based on the landing event and the time duration the recreational vehicle is airborne, one or more second commands to result in increasing the rebound damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers from the free-fall rebound value to a post-landing rebound value to prevent a landing hop; and 
 provide one or more third commands to result in decreasing the rebound damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers from the post-landing rebound value to the pre-takeoff rebound value. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of: an accelerometer and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). 
     
     
       3. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more third commands cause the rebound damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers to gradually decrease from the post-landing rebound value to the pre-takeoff rebound value. 
     
     
       4. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 increase the post-landing rebound value as the time duration that the recreational vehicle is airborne increases. 
 
     
     
       5. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 in response to determining the time duration is below a first threshold, set the post-landing rebound value to a same value as the pre-takeoff rebound value. 
 
     
     
       6. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 in response to determining the time duration is below a first threshold, bias the post-landing rebound value for a front shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers different from a rear shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 generate the one or more second commands based on the biasing the post-landing rebound value. 
 
     
     
       7. The recreational vehicle of  claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the post-landing rebound value by additionally increasing the post-landing rebound value for the front shock absorber. 
     
     
       8. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 provide, based on the airborne event, one or more fourth commands to result in gradually increasing a compression damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers from a pre-takeoff compression value to a post-landing compression value; 
 provide, based on the landing event and the time duration, one or more fifth commands to result in maintaining the compression damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers at the post-landing compression value; and 
 provide one or more sixth commands to result in decreasing the compression damping characteristic for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers from the post-landing compression value to the pre-takeoff compression value. 
 
     
     
       9. The recreational vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 in response to determining the time duration is below a first threshold, set the post-landing compression value to a same value as the pre-takeoff compression value. 
 
     
     
       10. The recreational vehicle of  claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 in response to determining the time duration is below a first threshold, bias the post-landing compression value for a front shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers different from a rear shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 generate the one or more fifth commands based on the biasing the post-landing compression value. 
 
     
     
       11. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the free-fall rebound value is substantially zero. 
     
     
       12. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 receive, from the at least one sensor, additional sensor information; 
 determine, based on the additional sensor information, a cornering event corresponding to the recreational vehicle executing a turn; and 
 provide, to at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers and based on the determining of the cornering event, one or more commands to result in a decrease of a damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       13. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the additional sensor information, a direction of the turn corresponding to the cornering event; 
 determining, based on the direction of the turn, at least one inner adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing, to the at least one inner adjustable shock absorber, one or more commands to result in a decrease of a compression damping characteristic and an increase of a rebound damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       14. The recreational vehicle of  claim 13 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the direction of the turn, at least one outer adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing, to the least one outer adjustable shock absorber one or more commands to result in a decrease of a rebound damping characteristic and an increase of a compression damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       15. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the at least one sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU); 
 the additional sensor information comprises acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value; and 
 the controller is configured to determine the cornering event by determining that the recreational vehicle is turning based on comparing the lateral acceleration value to a first threshold. 
 
     
     
       16. The recreational vehicle of  claim 15 , wherein:
 the additional sensor information further comprises yaw rate information indicating a yaw rate; and 
 the controller is further configured to determine the cornering event by determining that the recreational vehicle is turning based on comparing the yaw rate to a second threshold. 
 
     
     
       17. The recreational vehicle of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the at least one sensor includes a steering sensor; 
 the additional sensor information further comprises steering information indicating a steering position or a steering rate corresponding to a steering wheel; and 
 the controller is configured to determine the cornering event by determining that the recreational vehicle is turning based on comparing the steering position to a third threshold. 
 
     
     
       18. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the additional sensor information comprises yaw rate information indicating a yaw rate and steering information indicating a steering position or a steering rate, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 prioritize the yaw rate information over the steering information such that the controller is configured to determine the vehicle is executing the turn in a first direction based on the yaw rate indicating the turn in the first direction and even if the steering position or the steering rate indicates the turn in a second direction or does not indicate the turn. 
 
     
     
       19. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the additional sensor information comprises acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value and yaw rate information indicating a yaw rate, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 prioritize the acceleration information over the yaw rate information such that the controller is configured to determine the vehicle is executing the turn in a first direction based on the lateral acceleration value indicating the turn in the first direction and even if the yaw rate indicates the turn in a second direction or does not indicate the turn. 
 
     
     
       20. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the additional sensor information comprises steering information indicating a steering position or a steering rate and acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 prioritizing the acceleration information over the steering information such that the controller is configured to determine the vehicle is executing the turn in a first direction based on the lateral acceleration value indicating the turn in the first direction and even if the steering position or the steering rate indicates the turn in a second direction or does not indicate the turn. 
 
     
     
       21. The recreational vehicle of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a first sensor positioned on the recreational vehicle and configured to provide cornering information to a controller and a second sensor positioned on the recreational vehicle and configured to provide acceleration information to the controller;
 wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive, from the first sensor, the cornering information; 
 receive, from the second sensor, the acceleration information; 
 determine, based on the cornering information, a cornering event corresponding to the recreational vehicle executing a turn; 
 determine, based on the acceleration information, a position of the recreational vehicle during the turn; and 
 provide, to the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers and based on the cornering event and the position of the recreational vehicle during the turn, one or more commands to result in an adjustment of a damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
 
     
     
       22. The recreational vehicle of  claim 21 , wherein the second sensor is an accelerometer or an inertial measurement unit (IMU). 
     
     
       23. The recreational vehicle of  claim 21 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the recreational vehicle during the turn by determining, based on the acceleration information indicating a longitudinal deceleration, that the vehicle is entering the turn, and
 wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the cornering event, a plurality of damping characteristics for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; 
 bias, based on the determining that the vehicle is entering the turn, the plurality of damping characteristics; and 
 generate the one or more commands based on the plurality of biased damping characteristics. 
 
 
     
     
       24. The recreational vehicle of  claim 23 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing the compression damping of a front adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 additionally decreasing the compression damping of a rear adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       25. The recreational vehicle of  claim 23 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing the rebound damping of a rear adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 additionally decreasing the rebound damping of a front adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       26. The recreational vehicle of  claim 21 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the position of the recreational vehicle during the turn by determining, based on the acceleration information indicating a longitudinal acceleration, that the vehicle is exiting the turn, and
 wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the cornering event, a plurality of damping characteristics for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; 
 bias, based on the determining that the vehicle is exiting the turn, the plurality of damping characteristics; and 
 generate the one or more commands based on the plurality of biased damping characteristics. 
 
 
     
     
       27. The recreational vehicle of  claim 26 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing the compression damping of a rear adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 additionally decreasing the compression damping of a front adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       28. The recreational vehicle of  claim 26 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing the rebound damping of a front adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 additionally decreasing the rebound damping of a rear adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       29. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 receive, from the at least one sensor, additional sensor information; 
 determine, based on the additional sensor information, a braking event corresponding to the recreational vehicle; and 
 provide, to at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers and based on the braking event, one or more commands to result in a decrease of a damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       30. The recreational vehicle of  claim 29 , wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing one or more commands to result in a decrease of a rebound damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
     
     
       31. The recreational vehicle of  claim 29 , wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing one or more commands to result in a decrease of a compression damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
     
     
       32. The recreational vehicle of  claim 29 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a brake sensor, and wherein the additional sensor information is information indicating actuation of a brake pedal. 
     
     
       33. The recreational vehicle of  claim 29 , wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by:
 providing, to a front adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, a command to result in an increase of a compression damping characteristic and to result in a decrease of a rebound damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       34. The recreational vehicle of  claim 29 , wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by:
 providing, to a rear adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, a command to result in an increase of a rebound damping characteristic and to result in a decrease of a compression damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       35. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor includes a first sensor positioned on the recreational vehicle and configured to provide braking information to a controller; and a second sensor positioned on the recreational vehicle and configured to provide acceleration information to the controller;
 wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive, from the first sensor, the braking information; 
 receive, from the second sensor, the acceleration information; 
 determine a braking event corresponding to the recreational vehicle based on the braking information; 
 determine, based on the acceleration information, an amount to reduce a damping characteristic of an adjustable shock absorber from the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 provide, to the adjustable shock absorber and based on the braking event, one or more first commands to result in an adjustment of the damping characteristic of the adjustable shock absorber to the determined amount. 
 
 
     
     
       36. The recreational vehicle of  claim 35 , wherein the second sensor is an accelerometer, and wherein the acceleration information indicates a longitudinal deceleration of the recreational vehicle. 
     
     
       37. The recreational vehicle of  claim 35 , wherein the second sensor is an inertial measurement unit (IMU), and wherein the acceleration information indicates a longitudinal deceleration of the recreational vehicle. 
     
     
       38. The recreational vehicle of  claim 35 , wherein the second sensor is a brake sensor, and wherein the acceleration information indicates a longitudinal deceleration of the recreational vehicle. 
     
     
       39. The recreational vehicle of  claim 35 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the acceleration information, a deceleration value, and 
 wherein the controller determines the amount to reduce the damping characteristic of the adjustable shock absorber by:
 in response to determining the deceleration value is below a first threshold, maintaining a compression damping of the adjustable shock absorber. 
 
 
     
     
       40. The recreational vehicle of  claim 35 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the acceleration information, a deceleration value, and 
 wherein the controller determines the amount to reduce the damping characteristic of the adjustable shock absorber by:
 in response to determining the deceleration value is greater than a first threshold and below a second threshold, reducing a compression damping of the adjustable shock absorber to a first value; and 
 in response to determining the deceleration value is greater than the first threshold and the second threshold, reducing the compression damping of the adjustable shock absorber to a second value, wherein the second value is below the first value. 
 
 
     
     
       41. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensor is configured to provide acceleration information to a controller; and
 the controller operatively coupled to the at least one sensor and the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive, from the at least one sensor, the acceleration information; 
 determine, based on the acceleration information, an orientation of the vehicle; and 
 provide, to at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers and based on the orientation of the vehicle, one or more commands to result in an adjustment of a damping characteristic of the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
 
     
     
       42. The recreational vehicle of  claim 41 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of: an accelerometer or an inertial measurement unit (IMU). 
     
     
       43. The recreational vehicle of  claim 41 , further comprising:
 an operator interface configured to provide one or more user inputs indicating mode selections to the controller, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands to result in the adjustment of the damping characteristic based on receiving, from the operator interface, user input indicating a selection of a rock crawler mode. 
 
     
     
       44. The recreational vehicle of  claim 43 , wherein the at least one sensor comprises a second sensor configured to provide vehicle speed information to the controller, and
 wherein the controller is further configured to:
 receive, from the second sensor, vehicle speed information indicating a vehicle speed of the recreational vehicle; and 
 in response to determining that the vehicle speed is greater than a threshold, transitioning the vehicle from the rock crawler mode to a different operating mode. 
 
 
     
     
       45. The recreational vehicle of  claim 41 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the acceleration information, a longitudinal acceleration and a lateral acceleration of the recreational vehicle; 
 determine, based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration, a pitch angle and a roll angle of the recreational vehicle, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to determine the orientation of the recreational vehicle based on the pitch angle and the roll angle. 
 
     
     
       46. The recreational vehicle of  claim 45 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration, that the orientation of the recreational vehicle is on flat ground; and 
 provide, based on the determination that the recreational vehicle is on flat ground, one or more commands to result in an increase of a compression damping characteristic and a decrease of a rebound damping characteristic for the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       47. The recreational vehicle of  claim 45 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration, at least one uphill adjustable shock absorber and at least one downhill adjustable shock absorber from the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 provide, to the at least one uphill adjustable shock absorber, one or more commands to result in an increase of a rebound damping characteristic and a decrease of a compression damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       48. The recreational vehicle of  claim 45 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration, at least one uphill adjustable shock absorber and at least one downhill adjustable shock absorber from the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 provide, to the at least one downhill adjustable shock absorber, one or more commands to result in an increase of a compression damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       49. The recreational vehicle of  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to:
 receive, from the at least one sensor, additional sensor information; 
 determine, based on the additional sensor information, a sliding event corresponding to the recreational vehicle sliding while traversing a slope; and 
 provide, to at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers and based on the determining of the sliding event, one or more commands to result in adjusting a damping characteristic for the at least one of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       50. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein:
 the at least one sensor comprises an inertial measurement unit (IMU); 
 the additional sensor information comprises acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value; and 
 the controller is configured to determine the sliding event by determining that the recreational vehicle is sliding based on comparing the lateral acceleration value to a first threshold. 
 
     
     
       51. The recreational vehicle of  claim 50 , wherein:
 the additional sensor information further comprises yaw rate information indicating a yaw rate; and 
 the controller is further configured to determine the cornering based on the yaw rate. 
 
     
     
       52. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein the additional sensor information comprises acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value and yaw rate information indicating a yaw rate, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 prioritize the acceleration information over the yaw rate information such that the controller is configured to determine the vehicle is sliding while traversing the slope based on the lateral acceleration value exceeding a first threshold and even if the yaw rate does not exceed a second threshold. 
 
     
     
       53. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein the additional sensor information comprises steering information indicating a steering position or a steering rate and acceleration information indicating a lateral acceleration value, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 prioritizing the acceleration information over the steering information such that the controller is configured to determine the vehicle is sliding while traversing the slope based on the lateral acceleration value exceeding a first threshold and even if the steering position or the steering rate does not exceed a second threshold. 
 
     
     
       54. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein the additional sensor information indicates a lateral acceleration, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the lateral acceleration, a direction of a slide corresponding to the sliding event; 
 determining, based on the direction of the slide, at least one leading adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing, to the at least one leading adjustable shock absorber, one or more commands to result in an increase of a compression damping characteristic and a decrease of a rebound damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       55. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein the additional sensor information indicates a lateral acceleration, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the lateral acceleration, a direction of a slide corresponding to the sliding event; 
 determining, based on the direction of the slide, at least one trailing adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers, and 
 wherein the controller is configured to provide the one or more commands by providing, to the at least one trailing adjustable shock absorber, one or more commands to result in a decrease of a compression damping characteristic and an increase of a rebound damping characteristic. 
 
     
     
       56. The recreational vehicle of  claim 49 , wherein the additional sensor information indicates a longitudinal acceleration, and wherein the controller is further configured to:
 determine, based on the longitudinal acceleration, an orientation of the vehicle; 
 determine, based on the orientation of the vehicle, a plurality of damping characteristics for the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; 
 bias, based on the orientation of the vehicle, the plurality of damping characteristics; and 
 generate the one or more commands based on the plurality of biased damping characteristics. 
 
     
     
       57. The recreational vehicle of  claim 56 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing a compression damping of a downhill adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers; and 
 additionally decreasing a compression damping of an uphill adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers. 
 
     
     
       58. The recreational vehicle of  claim 56 , wherein the controller is configured to bias the plurality of damping characteristics by:
 additionally increasing the rebound damping of an uphill adjustable shock absorber of the plurality of adjustable shock absorbers.